Nichirin (1-2, 1-1) saw a potential win slip through their fingers on Thursday night, as Marshall Medical Center (2-1, 1-1) rallied to defeat the defending Marshall County Babe Ruth league champs 8-6 after overcoming a late four-run deficit.

MMC trailed 5-1 through the first four innings of play, but crossed home plate seven times over the next two frames to seize a 8-5 lead before hanging on for the two-run victory.

Errors' effect

Marshall Medical Center mustered only four hits in the contest, but drew eight walks to go along with two hit batsmen and a Nichirin error. Payton Hood (2 RBI), Nathan Derryberry (1 RBI), starting pitcher Ethan Poteete (1 RBI), and Trent Richardson (1 RBI) each had one hit for MMC.

Nichirin starting pitcher Stuart Warner suffered the loss after allowing seven runs in five innings of work on four hits and seven walks while notching six strikeouts. Jay Howard then took the hill and yielded one unearned run in one inning on one walk.

Although they finished with a modest five hits overall, Nichirin was aided by six walks and five Marshall Medical Center errors. Howard paced Nichirin at the plate by going 2-for 3 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored, while Warner (2 RBI), Denver Kelly, and second baseman Tata Davis each had one hit.

Poteete had to settle for the no decision after giving up three runs over three innings on three hits and two walks. Richardson then came on in relief of Poteete and allowed three runs, only one earned, in four innings of work on two hits and four walks to go along with four strikeouts.

Good start

Nichirin got off to a promising start and pushed across two runs in the top of the first inning on the strength of a Howard single, a RBI double by Warner, a wild pitch, and a Josh McKnight RBI groundout to take a 2-0 lead.

After coming up empty in the bottom of the first, Marshall Medical Center tallied a run in the second inning to narrow the gap to 2-1. MMC loaded the bases with two outs on a Richardson single and a pair of walks by Huitt and Tristan Maxwell, before Richardson sprinted home on a wild pitch.

Nichirin then stretched their lead to 3-1 in the top of the third when Kelly scored on an error after reaching first base on an error and advancing to third on a double by Howard.

In the top of the fourth, Nichirin plated two more runs with the help of a Davis walk, two errors, a wild pitch, and a RBI groundout by Jacob Autry to open up a 5-1 advantage.

Taking control

Marshall Medical Center would quickly erase the deficit in the bottom of the fifth, as they crossed home plate six times in the frame on the strength of three walks, two hit batsmen, a Derryberry RBI double, a RBI fielder's choice by Richardson, and Hood two-run bloop double to seize a 7-5 lead.

MMC then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning to forge an 8-5 advantage when Derryberry scored on a Nichirin throwing error after drawing a one-out walk and stealing second and third.

Nichirin notched a run with two outs in the top of the seventh thanks to a Howard walk and an error to whittle the deficit to 8-6, but Richardson retired the next batter on a fly out to seal the win for Marshall Medical Center.